Mattress handle



June 2, 1970 M. ZYSMAN 3,514,797

MATTRESS HANDLE Filed March 21, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 W II (1 11%77" i17 16 212022 1 J 15 FIG- 3 H INVEN'I'UR. M. ZYSMAN Agent M. ZYSMANMATTRESS HANDLE June 2, 1970 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 21, 1968 FIG.9

FIG. 11

I N VIZN '1 ()R. M. ZYSMAN B Y Z 2 Agent United States Patent MATTRESSHANDLE Milton Zysman, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, assignor, by

mesne assignments, to Convex Limited, Nassau Bahamas, a Bahamian companyFiled Mar. 21, 1968, Ser. No. 714,965 Int. Cl. A47c 23/00; A47b 95/02US. Cl. -345 7 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A decorative mattresshandle comprising an ornamental strip mounted between the terminals ofan elongated plastic handle to enhance the appearance thereof.

This invention relates to an improved mattress handle.

In the past mattress handles were formed of fabric or fabric-coveredelements, such as cord, which blended with the ticking on the mattresswalls to which they were atached. Currently, however, mattressmanufacturers seem to favour plastic handles which appear to bepreferred by the industry for reasons of economy, ease of attachment tomattresses, strength, and so forth. On the other hand, mattressesequipped with plastic handles have encountered strong sales resistanceon the part of the public due, it is thought, to the fact that theplastic handles fail to blend decoratively with the colouring andornamentation of the mattress wall material, but present instead a starkappearance as compared with the fabric handles of the prior art.

A first object of the invention is, therefore, to provide a mattresshandle formed of plastic material and possessing the physical propertiesof strength, lightness of weight, economy, ease of attachment, and soforth of conventional plastic handles whilst still possessing desirabledecorative properties.

An equally important object of the invention is to provide a mattresshandle formed of a plastics material which will lend itself toornamentation by a fabric or like decorative element so that it bears aclose resemblance to said prior fabric handles.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a handle asaforesaid which is specifically designed to receive a decorative elementfor camouflaging the handle and disguising the plastic appearancethereof.

The plastic handle particularly contemplated by the invention is of thetype which comprises two spaced-apart terminals securable on a mattresswall and joined together by an elongated grip; the decorative elementaforesaid being applied to the grip between said terminals. Preferablysaid decorative element consists wholly of fabric or it may consist of afabric or equivalent material mounted on a more or less stiff core.

Obviously a decorative element which is formed of a fabric, or which isfabric covered, may well raise new problems for solution. For example, aconvenient method of applying the fabric to a stiffening element wouldbe by the use of braiding around said element. However, this materialravels very readily at its ends which necessitates the employment ofspecial counter-measures to prevent .such unraveling and thisconstitutes a further objective of the invention.

More specifically stated, said further objective of the invention is toprovide a mattress handle as aforesaid with sockets capable of receivingand retaining the ends of a decorative element as aforesaid to preservethose ends against deterioration.

As a collateral object, the invention further contemplates the provisionof a handle as aforesaid in which not 3,514,797 Patented June 2, 1970only the decorative element but also the grip itself is installed andsecured within said sockets.

The invention also seeks to provide an acceptable method of improvingthe appearance of plastics handles generally.

To meet the above and other unspecified objects, the invention providesa mattress handle comprising a pair of terminals securable inspaced-apart relation on a mattress, an elongated grip joining saidterminals and a socket adjacent the junction of each one of saidterminals and the grip for accommodating the ends of a decorativeelement on the grip. In the preferred form of the invention, the grip isformed integrally with the terminals. In an alternative form, however,the grip may be formed separate from the terminals, the ends of both thegrip and the decorative element being securable within a correspondingsaid socket.

Further and other objects of the invention more or less broad than theforegoing will be apparent from or specifically stated in thehereinafter following description of the elements, parts and principlesconstituting the invention of which preferred embodiments are hereindescribed and illustrated in the annexed drawings by way of example onlywherein like parts of the invention are designated by like referencenumerals throughout the drawings and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of a mattress handle wherein the gripportion thereof is formed integrally with each of the two end terminals;

FIG. 2 is an underneath perspective view of one end of the handle shownin FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view on the line IIIIII of FIG. 1 showing apart of the mattress wall to which the handle is attached and also themeans for securing the handle thereto;

FIG. 4 is a transverse cross-sectional view on the line IV-IV of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a top perspective view of an alternative form of mattresshandle wherein the grip portion is formed integrally at each of its endswith a terminal;

FIG. 6 is an underneath perspective view of one end of the handle shownin FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view on the line VII-VII of FIG. 6 showing apart of the mattress wall to which the handle is attached and also themeans for attaching one of the terminals thereto;

FIG. 8 is a transverse cross-sectional view on the line VIIIVIII of FIG.7;

FIG. 9 is a top plan view of an alternative form of mattress handlewherein the grip portion thereof is formed separate from the terminalsand, subsequently, linked to them, the terminals being shown mounted ona part of the mattress wall;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a decorative element utilized as a gripin producing a handle of the type illustrated in FIG. 9;

FIG .11 is a transverse cross-sectional view on the line XI-XI of FIG.9.

In the constructions illustrated and described herein, there is broadlydisclosed, in accordance with the invention, a mattress handle formed ofa plastics material which is particularly adapted, by the provision ofsockets thereon, to receive a decorative element disposed either upon oraround a grip portion of the handle with the ends of said elementdisposed within said sockets.

In a first embodiment of the invention, as shown in FIGS. 1-4, thehandle H1 comprises a pair of terminals 10-40 and an elongated grip 11integrally connected at each of its ends to one of said terminals, thehandle as a whole being moulded from a suitable plastics material, suchas, for example, polyethylene. The terminals 10-10 are securable on amattress wall 12 by any suitable means such as a pronged ring 13 (seeFIG. 3) and a cooperating retaining ring 14, or any equivalent device,the initial condition of the prongs being shown in full line and thefinal secured condition being shown in dotted line. It will be obviousthat, when the prongs are bent to the position shown in dotted line inFIG. 3, the material forming the mattress wall will be compressedagainst each terminal whereby the handle is held tightly upon said wall.

The exemplary grip 12 is flattened in cross-section, its surfaceproviding a seating in the form of recess 16 for the decorative elementas is described further herein, said recess comprising a shallow channelhaving a base and having undercut side walls 17. The side walls adjacenteach end of the recess are thickened as shown at 18 and converge towardsone another in the direction of the adjacent terminal 10. This localizedthickening as shown at 18 is provided to strengthen the handle at thepoints at which it is most liable to flexure when being utilized to movea mattress to which it is attached. There is provided adjacent thejuncture of each terminal 10* and the grip 11 a socket 19 which itselfopens into a passageway extending through the handle.

The term surface asused herein and throughout the specification will beunderstood to refer to a surface of the grip which is visible when thehandle is mounted upon a mattress wall. Thus in the embodiment describedherein the surface referred to is the outer surface of the grip, i.e.:the surface of the grip remote from the mattress wall, but it will beunderstood that, if the grip is formed of a transparent material, thesurface referred to may be the inner surface of the grip, i.e.: thesurface of the grip adjacent the mattress wall.

As will be seen particularly from FIG. 3, the socket 19 in each terminalwhich opens into a passageway leading from the outer to the innersurfaces of the handle is defined between an end edge 23 of the base 15of the grip 11 and a chamfered flange 24 formed on the terminal 10.Retention of a decorative element 20* in socket 19 is thereby enhancedby the interengagement of its respective ends between the two opposedsurfaces of the edge 23 and the flange 24. Retention of the element 20within the recess 16 may, desirably, be further improved by the use ofan adhesive compound between the inner surface of the element 20 and thebase of the recess.

A decorative element in the form of a substantially flat strip 20comprises an inner flexible core 21 clad in fabric which may be a wovenor knitted decorative fabric sheath 22. Each end of the strip 20 istapered whereby it may be accommodated within the recess 16 with eachtapered end engaged within and concealed by one of the sockets 19 in aterminal 10. The thickness of the strip 20 is slightly less than thedepth of the recess 16 whereby the edges of the strip may be retainedunderneath the undercut portions of the recess side walls 17.

In one method of manufacturing the decorative element, the core 21thereof is produced in a long length, such as by extrusion, and is thenbraided. If desired, a length of extruded material may alternatively beindented at intervals to define a plurality of cores 21 connected inseries at narrowed necks, after which the respective cores may have adecorative sheath 22 woven around them; the sheath 22 resultantly beingnarrowed and drawn about the core necks. Subsequently the core and thesheath are severed at the necks or otherwise to produce decorativestrips for mounting upon mattress handles. The fact that the sheath isdrawn about a neck at each end of a severed strip enables the strip endsto be inserted within the aforesaid sockets of the handle withoutfraying or unraveling of the sheath ends during such insertion.

A further alternative construction of mattress handle H2 is shown inFIGS. 5-8 wherein like reference numerals refer to like partshereinbefore described in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-4.

In this construction a grip 11 of substantially sernicircular transversecross-sectional form is formed integrally with two spaced-apartterminals 310-40; the handle as a whole, again, being formed as aplastics moulding. A seating in the form of a recess 16' extendslongitudinally of the outer surface of the grip 11 and is of asubstantially semi-circular transverse cross-sectional form for thehousing therein of a decorative element 20 which is itself of asubstantially circular transverse crosssectional form. At the junctureof each terminal and the grip, there is provided a socket 19 to receiveand conceal the ends of the decorative element, such sockets includingpassageways extending from the outer to the inner surfaces of thehandle. To facilitate insertion of the ends of said element within eachsocket, the inner surfaces 25 of the passageways are curved. Theterminals 1010= of the handle may be secured to the mattress wall by thesame means as is described in the first embodiment, such means beingillustrated in FIG. 7 with respect to the second embodiment. It shouldbe understood, however, that such securing means form no part of thepresent invention and any equivalent securing means may be utilized.

A further alternative embodiment of mattress handle H is illustrated inFIGS. 9-11 of the drawings wherein like reference numerals again referto like parts hereinbefore described. In this construction a plasticshandle H3 comprises two terminals 10-10 linked together by a grip 11,the grip 11 being formed as a separate integer and subsequently joinedto the terminals in a manner further described herein. Each of the saidterminals is secured to the mattress wall 12 by means of similarsecuring means 13 to those hereinbefore described with reference toFIGS. 1-8.

It will be appreciated that, in the two embodiments describedhereinbefore with reference to FIGS. l-8, the decorative element isseated upon a gri formed integral with the two handle terminals.However, in the modification illustrated in FIGS. 9l1, the decorativeelement is modified to actually form the grip 11; the grip comprising anecked core 21' upholstered with a decorative sheath 22' produced by oneof the methods hereinbefore described.

In this modification of the invention such an upholstered grip 11 isattached to a terminal 10 by housing and anchoring one of its tipportions 27 by means of, for example, a rivet 28 in a socket 19"provided on each terminal 10 and forming a part thereof.

The insertion of a said upholstered tip portion 27 into a socket 19"may, therefore, be accomplished with little danger of pushing back theoverlying sheath 22'. Resultantly the said sheath ends will be housedwithin the socket 19" along with the tip portion 27 of the core 26 andwill be secured therein by the rivet 28. It will be understood that thenecking of the grip serves not only to meter it into its desired lengthand to shape its end margins 27, but it also enables the ends of thesheath 22' to be drawn over said tip portions of the grip whereby saidsheath ends are then carried therewith into the terminal sockets 19"wherein they are also protected against friction and subsequent frayingor unraveling.

It is apparent from the foregoing description and reference to thedrawings that the decorative element illustrated covers substantiallythe whole of the outer surface of the grip located between a pair ofterminals thereby presenting an attractive appearance to the mattresshandle as a whole. It will be appreciated that the colour and pattern ofthe decorative element will be chosen to blend readily with the sidewall of the mattress to which the handle is attached. Moreover the endsof the decorative element in the embodiments referred to are receivedand concealed within the sockets formed at the juncture of the terminalsand the grip whereby a neat appearance is presented and fraying orunraveling of the fabric from the ends of the decorative element isprevented.

It will be understood that the term decorative element as usedthroughout this specification and claims is deemed to refer to any formof element which disguises or camoufiages the plastic appearance of themattress handle.

Thus, although the foregoing embodiments relate to the use of adecorative element in the form of a fabric, the invention also envisagesthe use of a decorative element formed of some other suitable materialwhich may be appropriately notched or blended to the mattress material.For example, the decorative element may comprise an appropriatelycoloured plastic-coated or metallic foil, which may be mounted on abacking, for enhancing the appearance of a plastic mattress handle. Th:dzcorative element may also, for example, include advertising oridentification material therein.

It will be appreciated that the hereinbefore described embodiments ofthe invention have been selected solely for the expository purposeshereof and should not be construed in a limiting sense, variousmodifications being readily suggestable to those skilled in the art andthe true scope of the invention being restricted only by the claimshereinafter set forth.

What I claim is:

1. A mattress handle including:

an elongated grip;

terminals disposed at each end of said grip for securing the handle to amattress;

an elongated seating on said grip;

passageways extending in a generally longitudinal direction through saidgrip at each end of said seating; and

a decorative element complementarily shaped to, and

generally co-extensive with, said seating disposed thereon with each endof said element installed within a said passageway concealing andprotecting said ends.

2. A mattress handle as claimed in claim 1 wherein:

said seating has a substantially semi-circular transverse cross-section.

3. A mattress handle as claimed in claim 1 wherein:

said seating, adjacent each said passageway at least, is provided withupstanding side walls; said side walls being undercut for accommodatingsaid decorative element.

4. A mattress handle as claimed in claim 1 wherein:

said seating, adjacent each said passageway at least, is provided withupstanding side walls; said side Walls being undercut for accommodatingsaid decorative element and being convergent towards one anotheradjacent each said passageway.

5. A mattress handle as claimed in claim 1 wherein:

said decorative element comprises a core encased by a decorative sheath.

6. A mattress handle as claimed in claim 5 wherein:

said sheath is drawn around the ends of the core.

7. A mattress handle as claimed in claim 5 wherein:

said core is extruded of a relatively stiff material.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,986,748 6/1961 Bechik 5-3452,987,149 6/1961 Finkelstein -57 3,176,326 4/1965 Zysman et al. 5-345BOBBY R. GAY, Primary Examiner A. M. CALVERT, Assistant Examiner US. Cl.X.R. 161l0

